Actilife CDZ Effervescent Tablets, 3 Tubes of 20
Actilife CDZ helps supply three nutrients with a genuine role in immune function in a single effervescent tablet: vitamin C at 1000mg, vitamin D at 1000 international units and zinc at 15mg, dissolved in a glass of water once a day.
What the Amounts Mean
Vitamin C, 1000mg. That is more than ten times the daily requirement and just under the adult upper limit of 2000mg a day. One tablet daily is comfortable. Two is not, and there is no reason to take two.
Worth knowing: absorption of vitamin C is saturable. At this size roughly half is taken up and the rest is passed in urine. That is not wasted money exactly, but it does mean a larger tablet is not proportionally more useful, and it is why sustained intakes above a gram a day are associated with kidney stones in people prone to them.
Vitamin D, 1000 international units. A sensible daily amount, well inside the 4000 unit ceiling. The caution is stacking rather than the dose itself: if you are also taking a vitamin D drop, a calcium and vitamin D suspension, or a combined vitamin D and K product, add them up before you start.
Zinc, 15mg. Comfortably within the 40mg daily upper limit. Sustained intake above that limit interferes with copper absorption, so again the question is what else you are taking rather than this tablet on its own.
Effervescent Tablets Contain Salt
An effervescent tablet fizzes because it contains sodium. Sodium bicarbonate and sodium carbonate are the second and third ingredients on this product after citric acid, which tells you they make up a substantial part of the tablet by weight. That is how the fizz works and there is no way around it.
A study of more than 1.2 million patients found that people taking sodium-containing soluble and effervescent formulations had a higher rate of cardiovascular events and were substantially more likely to develop high blood pressure than people taking the same medicines as ordinary tablets. That study covered medicines taken several times a day at far higher sodium loads than one vitamin tablet, so the comparison is not direct and should not frighten anybody taking one a day.
It is still the right question to ask, because the people who buy immune supplements every day are often the same people who have been told to watch their salt. If you have high blood pressure, heart failure, kidney disease, or you are on a salt-restricted diet, speak to our pharmacist. A plain vitamin C, D and zinc tablet or capsule contains no sodium at all and does the same job.
What It Does for Colds and Infections, Accurately
The honest account is more useful than the usual one, and it is different for each of the three.
Vitamin C. Taken regularly, it does not stop most people catching colds. What it does reliably do is shorten them modestly, by around a tenth of their length in adults, and reduce how bad they feel. Starting it after symptoms begin has not been shown to help much, so the benefit belongs to people already taking it.
Vitamin D. Reduces the risk of acute respiratory infection, and the effect is concentrated almost entirely in people who were short of it to begin with. If your level is already adequate, expect little.
Zinc. Has the most direct evidence for shortening a cold, and it works best started within the first day of symptoms. Most of that evidence is for lozenges held in the mouth rather than a drink, so this format is not the strongest version of that particular use.
Taken together: a reasonable daily support for someone whose diet or sunlight exposure is patchy, and a sensible thing to already be taking before the season turns. Not a treatment, and not a shield.
How to Take It
Dissolve one tablet in a glass of water, about 200ml, wait until the fizzing stops completely, and drink it. Once a day, with or after food.
Take it with food rather than on an empty stomach, because 15mg of zinc on an empty stomach makes a fair number of people feel sick. One tablet a day. The pack holds three tubes of twenty, so sixty tablets, which is two months at one a day.
Before You Start, Check These
Speak to our pharmacist first if any of these apply:
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding — the manufacturer does not recommend it. Ask us and we will point you to a prenatal preparation instead.
- Under eighteen — the manufacturer states this is for adults. The vitamin C amount in particular is an adult amount.
- High blood pressure, heart failure, kidney disease or a low-salt diet — because of the sodium. See above.
- Antibiotics — zinc binds tetracyclines and quinolones and reduces their absorption. Separate them by at least two hours.
- Another vitamin D or calcium product — these add up, and several of the products sold alongside this one contain vitamin D.
- A history of kidney stones — sustained vitamin C above a gram a day is associated with stone formation in susceptible people.
Side Effects
Uncommon and mild at one tablet a day. Nausea or a metallic taste from the zinc, particularly on an empty stomach, and occasionally loose stools or wind from the vitamin C.
Tell us about swelling, unusual thirst or a rise in your blood pressure readings if you monitor them at home.
What Is in the Tablet
Vitamin C 1000mg, vitamin D 1000 international units and zinc 15mg per effervescent tablet, with citric acid, sodium bicarbonate, sodium carbonate, sodium benzoate and sucralose. Sugar-free, and suitable for people with diabetes.
Storing It
Keep the tube tightly capped with its desiccant stopper, dry, and out of direct sunlight. Effervescent tablets absorb moisture from the air quickly, which is why the cap matters more here than on an ordinary bottle. Use within the date on the tube and keep out of reach of children.
Where to Buy Actilife CDZ in Kenya
Order online and we deliver countrywide, or collect from our pharmacy at Kahawa Sukari Shopping Center, Nairobi. We send orders to Nairobi and every neighbourhood around it — the CBD, Westlands, Parklands, Gigiri, Muthaiga, Runda, Rosslyn, Kitisuru, Lower Kabete, Lavington, Kileleshwa, Kilimani, Karen, Langata, South B, South C, Eastleigh, Buruburu, Donholm, Embakasi, Ngong Road, Kasarani, Roysambu, Zimmerman, Githurai, Ruaka, Banana Hill, Two Rivers, Village Market and Pride Lands — and across Kiambu, Thika, Juja, Ruiru, Kikuyu, Limuru and Ngong.
Beyond the capital we deliver to Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret, Nyeri, Machakos, Athi River, Kitengela, Kajiado, Naivasha, Narok, Kericho, Bomet, Kisii, Migori, Homa Bay, Siaya, Bungoma, Busia, Kakamega, Vihiga, Webuye, Kitale, Nandi Hills, Iten, Kapenguria, Embu, Meru, Chuka, Kerugoya, Murang’a, Othaya, Nyahururu, Nanyuki, Maralal, Isiolo, Marsabit, Moyale, Wajir, Mandera, Garissa, Lodwar, Kitui, Mwingi, Makueni, Emali, Kibwezi, Voi, Taveta, Wundanyi, Mariakani, Diani, Ukunda, Kilifi, Watamu, Malindi, Lamu and Hola. Packed to travel, cool-boxed where the weather calls for it, and tracked from our counter to your door.
Across Africa, ask us before you order. We have sent orders to Uganda, Tanzania, Somaliland and as far as Malawi, and we will quote for Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and the rest of the continent. What we need to know first is your country’s import rules for food supplements and how long the parcel will be in transit; we will tell you plainly if a destination is not worth the shipping cost.
Living abroad? Order from wherever you are and we deliver to your family here in Kenya. Kenyans in the UK, the United States, Canada, South Africa and the Gulf order from us regularly for parents and relatives at home. You pay online from where you live, we deliver to their door anywhere on the list above, and we confirm with you once it has arrived. Give us their name, their phone number and the estate or town they live in, and we will do the rest.
Why Buy Your Actilife CDZ from HealthAlone Kenya?
HealthAlone is a pharmacist-led health ecosystem licensed by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board, and our stock is original, sealed and correctly stored.
We publish the three amounts, we tell you the manufacturer says not in pregnancy, and we tell you that an effervescent tablet is a salt-containing tablet. If your blood pressure is the reason you are looking after your health in the first place, that last one matters, and we will offer you the version without it.
It is one more step in our vision: building Africa’s most trusted health ecosystem, accessible to everyone, everywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is in Actilife CDZ?
Vitamin C 1000mg, vitamin D 1000 international units and zinc 15mg per effervescent tablet. The pack is three tubes of twenty, so sixty tablets in total, and the dose is one a day.
Does it stop me catching colds?
No, and no supplement does. Taken regularly, vitamin C shortens colds modestly rather than preventing them; vitamin D reduces respiratory infection risk mostly in people who are short of it; and zinc has the best evidence for shortening a cold when started in the first day, mainly as a lozenge. Useful support, not a shield.
Is it safe in pregnancy?
The manufacturer does not recommend it in pregnancy or while breastfeeding. Speak to us and we will point you to a preparation made for that, which will have the right vitamin A and folic acid amounts as well.
How much sodium does an effervescent tablet contain?
Enough to matter if you are watching your salt. Sodium bicarbonate and sodium carbonate are what make it fizz and they sit near the top of the ingredient list. If you have high blood pressure, heart failure or kidney disease, ask our pharmacist about a plain tablet or capsule instead, which contains no sodium.
Can I take two a day?
No. One tablet already carries 1000mg of vitamin C against an adult upper limit of 2000mg a day, and doubling the sodium as well. One a day is the dose.
Can children take it?
The manufacturer states it is for adults of eighteen and over. The vitamin C amount is an adult amount. Ask us about a children’s preparation instead.
Can I take it with my antibiotics?
Separate them by at least two hours. Zinc binds tetracycline and quinolone antibiotics in the gut and reduces how much of the antibiotic is absorbed.
I already take vitamin D drops. Can I take this too?
Add them up first and speak to us. This tablet carries 1000 international units, and it is easy to reach the 4000 unit daily ceiling without noticing when a drop, a calcium suspension and a combined product are all in the house.
Is it suitable for diabetics?
Yes. It is sugar-free and sweetened with sucralose. The sodium point above still applies, and it applies more than usual if you have diabetes alongside high blood pressure.
Why take it with food?
Zinc on an empty stomach causes nausea in a fair number of people. Taking the tablet with or just after a meal avoids it.
How long does the pack last?
Two months. Three tubes of twenty tablets, one tablet a day.
Where can I buy Actilife CDZ in Kenya?
From HealthAlone, online for delivery countrywide or over the counter at Kahawa Sukari Shopping Center, Nairobi. We deliver across Nairobi — the CBD, Westlands, Parklands, Gigiri, Muthaiga, Runda, Kitisuru, Lavington, Kilimani, Karen, Langata, South B, South C, Eastleigh, Kasarani, Roysambu, Githurai, Ruaka and Banana Hill — and to Kiambu, Thika, Juja, Ruiru, Kikuyu, Limuru, Ngong, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret, Nyeri, Machakos, Kitengela, Naivasha, Narok, Kericho, Kisii, Migori, Homa Bay, Bungoma, Busia, Kakamega, Kitale, Embu, Meru, Nanyuki, Nyahururu, Isiolo, Marsabit, Wajir, Mandera, Garissa, Lodwar, Kitui, Makueni, Voi, Taveta, Mariakani, Diani, Ukunda, Kilifi, Watamu, Malindi and Lamu. Outside Kenya we have delivered to Uganda, Tanzania, Somaliland and Malawi, and we quote for Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Zambia, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and the rest of Africa on request.
